So I was looking at the various calibers you can build onto the AR platform. Found a page about 7.62x39 AR's. It noted that you can cram 7 7.62x39 rounds into a 10 round .223 AR mag and use them with some of these 7.62 builds.

Now say someone manufactured a 10-round 7.62x39 magazine that you could cram, I dunno, 14 .223 rounds into. At what point does that magazine become illegal? Capacity is kind of in the eye of the beholder somewhat, isn't it?

freonr22

09-28-2009, 1:08 AM

my .02, If you had a .223 rifle and had in your car at the range etc, a magazine that can fit 11 or more = doodoo (if you don have a featureless) just do a featureless and drop 30 round mags loaded all day long

SJgunguy24

09-28-2009, 1:15 AM

C products has been making 7.62X39 AR mags for years.

And ..........what if???

But.......what if????

Hey........what if???

When people do stupid s*** like that. Not only do they jepordize themselves, but
they can do damage to all of the progress that we've gained since 2004.
If you see someone do that, slap the taste out of their mouth.

Steve O

09-28-2009, 1:57 AM

I was wondering this to, because of the 50 beowulf guys saying they can use a standard .223 (30) round mag to load 10 beowulf....well inst that still illegal import of a 30 round .223 mag?

I imagine the mag would have to be stamped with caliber and capacity...

leelaw

09-28-2009, 2:01 AM

It's been discussed and, IIRC, the result was that the magazine had the capacity of whatever marked caliber it had. If it was a 10rd .223 magazine, it was a 10rd magazine. If it was a 10rd .50 Beowulf magazine, it was not a 30rd .223 magazine. Etc...

Now, if you're questioned by a LEO why your marked 10rd .50 Beowulf magazine currently has 30 .223 rounds in it, and you do not have any firearms chambered in .50 Beowulf, but you do have one in .223, you're probably going to be screwed. You might be saved in court, but that's an expensive "save"

sb_pete

09-28-2009, 2:56 AM

Possession of magazines with a capacity greater than 10 is not, repeat NOT, a crime. I'll leave it for Librarian or someone to post the exact PC, but possession of the mags is no prob.

Unless I am mistaken there is no provision in the law requiring you to prove how you came into that possession. If they ask, tell em to pound sand.

Now, if you put a magazine with more than 10 rounds into a fixed mag config semi-auto, centerfire rifle like an OLL AR, then you just made an Assault Rifle under CA law, regardless of whether the mag says .223, 7.62x39 or 8mm friggin Nambu. Don't do that.

If you are using a featureless build, I don't see how it could matter whether the mags you are using say one caliber or the other on them.

I suppose someone could argue that by taking a .40 cal mag and bending the feedlips so that it feeds 9mm and now works with 12 rds of 9mm, you are "manufacturing" a hi-cap mag, but that seems rather a stretch to me.

In the end, Leelaw is right though, anything you do that is not squeeky clean, unassailably above-board could find you before a judge or jury. Your call.

paratroop

09-28-2009, 7:19 AM

think of how many .22lr rounds you could cram into a 10 rd ak mag. im not talking with it functioning, im talking just crammed in there. do you think just because of that, every 10 rd ak mag would be high cap because they have the " ability to accept" more than 10 rounds(of .22lr)? ...of course not.

emcon5

09-28-2009, 9:32 AM

I suppose someone could argue that by taking a .40 cal mag and bending the feedlips so that it feeds 9mm and now works with 12 rds of 9mm, you are "manufacturing" a hi-cap mag, but that seems rather a stretch to me.

It has been a while, and I can't find a reference to it, but I remember when the Beretta 96 (M9 in 40S&W) came out, people were using the cheap surplus M9 15 round magazines in them. It worked fine, but only held 12 rounds, IIRC.

When the magazine ban happened, it got me wondering if the opposite would work, if you 9mm would work in the stock 96FS magazines. I imagine that a 10 round .40 magazine would hold at least 11 9mm rounds.

Rukus

09-28-2009, 10:02 AM

think of how many .22lr rounds you could cram into a 10 rd ak mag. im not talking with it functioning, im talking just crammed in there. do you think just because of that, every 10 rd ak mag would be high cap because they have the " ability to accept" more than 10 rounds(of .22lr)? ...of course not.

I see the point you are trying to make, however in this instance the magazine would not be functional in a firearm, whereas a .50 beowulf marked magazine would be functional in a 5.56 AR when loaded with the proper ammo. IMO thats a big difference. Especially when trying to convince John Q. Law that it is not illegal.

PEBKAC

09-28-2009, 10:46 AM

Read this thread (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=203083). Explains the whole "but I can cram x # of y in mag z which is a 10 round mag for q". ;)

zhyla

09-28-2009, 10:47 AM

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I've got no plans to do such a thing, was just curious how this worked.

Steve O

09-28-2009, 2:39 PM

Possession of magazines with a capacity greater than 10 is not, repeat NOT, a crime. I'll leave it for Librarian or someone to post the exact PC, but possession of the mags is no prob.

Unless I am mistaken there is no provision in the law requiring you to prove how you came into that possession. If they ask, tell em to pound sand.

Right. So that being said, I could use my standard .223 mags to hold 10 rounds of 50B...but what about me wanting to get more mags?

What does one do then? Buy a .223 rebuild kit, and assemble a mag?
Wouldn't that still be a crime, even thought the mag would be intended for 50b use, that would still be illegal import of .223 standard mag wouold it not?

- Purchase a disassembled .223/5.56mm 30 round magazine and mark it for use as a 10 round 50 Beowulf or .458 Socom mag. Some folks go the added (and IMHO unneeded) step of modifying the feed lips so that .223/5.56 rounds no longer properly function in those magazines.

B Strong

09-28-2009, 5:07 PM

So I was looking at the various calibers you can build onto the AR platform. Found a page about 7.62x39 AR's. It noted that you can cram 7 7.62x39 rounds into a 10 round .223 AR mag and use them with some of these 7.62 builds.

Now say someone manufactured a 10-round 7.62x39 magazine that you could cram, I dunno, 14 .223 rounds into. At what point does that magazine become illegal? Capacity is kind of in the eye of the beholder somewhat, isn't it?

Unfortunately that eye is often attached to someone who doesn't wish you well.

Why chance it?

Was I in that position, I'd leave the 7.62 x 39 mag in the rifle at all times, might even be a good argument for a Prince 50 loctited.

Cal-Irish

09-28-2009, 9:36 PM

my .02, If you had a .223 rifle and had in your car at the range etc, a magazine that can fit 11 or more = doodoo (if you don have a featureless) just do a featureless and drop 30 round mags loaded all day long
30rd pre-ban mags right?